Spiritual Temperature
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"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
– Revelation 3:v14-16
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"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
– Revelation 3:v14-16
The church of Laodicea was the most distasteful church of all, in the eyes of our Lord. His greatest condemnation was reserved for the lukewarm and casual.
G.A. Studdart Kennedy (1883 -1929) was a British writer who penned many beautiful poems about Jesus Christ. In one, he writes…
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"When Jesus came to Golgotha they hanged Him on a tree,
They drove great nails through hands and feet and made a Calvary.
They crowned Him with a crown of thorns; red were His wounds and deep,
For those were crude and cruel days and human flesh was cheap.
When Jesus came to Birmingham, they simply passed Him by,
They never hurt a hair of Him they only let Him die.
For men have grown more tender they wouldn't give Him pain,
They only just passed down the street and leave Him in the rain.
Still Jesus cried, “Forgive them for they know not what they do”
And still it rained the winter rain that drenched Him through and through.
"When Jesus came to Golgotha they hanged Him on a tree,
They drove great nails through hands and feet and made a Calvary.
They crowned Him with a crown of thorns; red were His wounds and deep,
For those were crude and cruel days and human flesh was cheap.
When Jesus came to Birmingham, they simply passed Him by,
They never hurt a hair of Him they only let Him die.
For men have grown more tender they wouldn't give Him pain,
They only just passed down the street and leave Him in the rain.
Still Jesus cried, “Forgive them for they know not what they do”
And still it rained the winter rain that drenched Him through and through.
The crowds went home and left the streets with out a soul to see
And Jesus crouched against a wall and cried for Calvary.”
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Kennedy was saying that Jesus would rather have the hatred than suffer from the indifference.
This Christmas season, consider your fervency for following the Lord. It is so easy to be distracted with the pressures and priorities that others and we all tend to put on ourselves. Focus, really focus, your full attention directly on the Savior, on His remarkable incarnation, and on His gift to all those who receive Him. If you sense a lukewarm spirit in yourself, this will fire you up.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. – Luke 2:11
